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' UNITED STATES PATENT; OFF C v.

ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AUGUSTUS NICKERSON, OF SAME PLACE.

GATHERER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,020, dated October 2, 1894 Application filed June 14,1894.

To all whom-it may concern.

Be itknownthat'we, JAMES M. MOODY and SIDNEY B. MOODY, both of Harwich, in the county of Barnstable, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oranberry-Gatherers,ot which the followingis adescription sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science'to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,in which- Figure 1 is a top plan viewof ourimproved cranberry-gatherer; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the same representing the stripping-jaws open or in their normal position; and Fig. 3, a like view showing the stripping-jaws closed.

Like letters and numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

As heretofore it has been deemedimpracticable to construct cranberry pickers of such size that any considerable quantity of the berries could be gathered simultaneously as the structure of the machine when enlarged to such an extent cause great damage to the vines, the runners being frequently torn and the stalks bruised thereby. a

Our invention is designed particularly to provide a device whereby the labor of gathering the berries is greatly lessened and the work much more effectively accomplished without injury either to the berries or vines, and in carrying it out we make use of means which will be readily understood from the following explanation.

In the drawings, A represents the body of the gatherer which comprises a semi-cylindrical metallic bottom, f, and wooden endpieces, g, connected by bracebars, .h. The side or end-pieces, g, are extended, forming arms, j. The gatherer is designed to rest on the curved bottom, f, which will slide freely over the vines. A handle, B, comprises sidebars, is, connected by a cross-bar, m, and secured to the end-pieces, g. The outer ends of. the side-bars, it, are grooved longitudinally at, 10, and a bar, q, parallel with the Serial No. 514,520. (No model.)

cross-bar, m, is fitted toj slide in said grooves.

Within the bodyandto'the side-pieces, 9, two

levers, r, are pivoted, Wires, t, connect said levers with the bar, q. One strip or jaw, C, comprises aback-barn), provided at each end 'with'a vertical'ar'm or lever, w, and hinged at,

x, to the" forward brace-bar, h. The upper JAMES M. MOODY AND SIDNEY B. MOODY, OF HARWICH, MAssAcHUsET s y ends of saidlevers are connected by wire s,y,

with the levers, 'r, so that they are actuated simultaneously therewith wheuthe bang, is moved by the operator. A series of wires, 2', secured in the back-bar, o, in parallelism and having their outer ends free complete the stripper jaw, O. A rock-bar, 25, is journaled,

in the outer ends of the arms, j, of the sidebars of the body. Fromthis bar, teeth, 26, project radially and form' the companion strip or jaw, D. These teeth, 26, are preferably arranged to alternate with the wires, 2, of the jaw, C. Straps, 30, have one end attached to each vertical lever, to, respectively, and pass around the rock-shaft to which they are secured, their opposite ends being connected by a spring, 31, with the levers, 10.

In the use of our'improvement the oper ator grasping the handle-bar,m, the parts being in the. position shown in Fig. 2, drives 4 the teeth forward, the wires, 2, on the jaw, G, penetrating between the stalks of the cranberry vines until said stalks engage the backbar, '0, of said jaw. The operator then draws the sliding bar, g, on said handle toward him actuating the levers, w, in like direction and throwing the wires, ,2, upward carrying the runners of the vines. The movements of the levers, w, simultaneously rocks the shaft, 25, the springs, 31, giving sufficiently for this purpose, and throws the teeth, 26, downward so that they nearly meet the ends of the wires, 2, but at an acute angle thereto. The operator now reciprocates the gatherer or draws it toward him and the runners sliding between the teeth of the stripping jaws, the berries are readily detached thereby without tearing said runners or without injuring the stalks of the plants. By depressing the handle the berries detached will roll backward into the receptacle in the body where they are retained. As soon as the sliding bar is released the springs reciprocate the jaws throwing them apart into position to repea the operation described.

Having thus explained our invention, what we claim is- 1. A cranberry gather er comprising a body; two stripper jaws fitted to rockinsaid body one of said jaws being adapted to move up from bottom to top of the vines, and devices for conjointly actuating said jaws.

2. In a cranberry gatherer, a body fitted to slide on the ground in combination with two toothed stripper jaws fitted to rock in said body, one of said jaws being adapted to move up from the bottom to the top of the vines and devices under the control of the operator for actuating said jaws conjointly, sub-- stantially as described.

3. In a cranberry gather-er, a body having a curved bottom forming a receptacle, said bottom being fitted to slide on the ground and form a fulcrum for rocking the body in combination with two stripper jawsfitted to rock in said body, one of said jaws being adapted to move up from bottom to top of said vines, and operating mechanism for saidjaws.

4. In a cranberry-gatherer the rocking body and a handle for actuating said body in combination with the toothed jaw, O, adapted to move up from bottom to top of the vines, the toothed jaw, D, devices for closing said jaws and a spring for opening the same, substantially as described. a

5. In .a cranberry-gatherer, the body having the curved receptacle,f, and a handle in combination with the spring-pulled rocking jaw, 0, having teeth adapted to move from bottom to top of the vines, the spring-pulled rocking jaw, D, provided with teeth and mechanism adapted to be operated from the handle for actuating said jaws, substantially as set forth.

JAMES M. MOODY. SIDNEY B. MOODY.

Witnesses:

MIRON W. ROGERS, A. L. WEEKES. 

